Indicator



Dec. 4 1923. 1,476,385

A. WHITE INDICATOR Filed June 13. 1922 s Sheets-Sheet 1 13/ /Nl/ENTOf?-" all/M 01 M MMWSQM ATTORNEY Dec. 4 1923.

A. WHHTE INDICATOR Filed Jun 1s.

1.922 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 /l/EN TOR GYM M4. 9am

ATTORN Y A. WHITE Dec. 4 1923.

" Filed June 13. 1922 s Sheets-Sheet 5 ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 4, 1923.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALPHONZO WHITE, OF WINCHENDON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO BAXTER D. WHITNEY & SON, ING, OF WINCHENDON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

Application filed June 13,

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALrnoNzo VVHrrn, a citizen of the United States, residing at vVinchendon, in the county of Worcester and State of l\lassachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Indicators, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to indicators for use upon internal grinding machines to indicate the adjustment of the grinding wheel.

It is now common practice to grind the cylinders of internal combustion engines and other cylindrical surfaces to size, since the grinding wheel produces a smoother and more accurate bore than can be produced by the steel cutter.

A special type of grinder has been developed and has come into general use for grinding the bore of internal combustion engines, and in this grinder the grinding shaftupon which the grinding wheel or cutter is mounted travels bodily in the path of a circle, and may be adjusted outwardly from the axis of said circle to advance the grinding wheel toward the surface to be ground.

I-Ieretofore it has been the practice to stop the grinding operation from time to time and measure the bore of the cylinder being ground to determine how near the same is to size, and when two or more cylinders are to be ground to the same size it is desirable to provide means for indicating when the grinding wheel has been adjusted towards the work to a predetermined position.

An important feature of the present invention, therefore, residing in novel means for indicating when the grinding wheel shaft of the type of grinder above mentioned hasbeen adjusted to a predetermined position.

The present invention may be used upon grinders of the type mentioned in perform.- ing various grinding operations, but it is particularly useful upon grinders used to grind engine castings or blocks having more than one internal combustion cylinder. In such use, after the first cylinder has been ground to size, the reading upon the indicator may be noted, then in grinding the remaining cylinders the operator need not stop to measure them but may rely upon the indicator to show when the parts have INDICATOR.

1922. Serial No. 567,976.

been adjusted into position to grind the remaining cylinders to the size of the first cylinder.

It is desirable to adjust the indicator actuating means after the grinding of each cylinder, so that as the nextcylinder is being ground the indicator will show while each cut is being taken, how much further the parts must be adjusted to bring the cylinder to size.

A more specific feature of the present invention, therefore, resides in an indicator actuator that is frictionally supported for movement manually inwardly into position to indicate the adjustment of t-he grinding wheel shaft throughout the grinding of the next cylinder.

Still another feature of the invention resides in an indicator for grinders that is supported for adjustment to face in different directions.

Other features of the invent-ion and novel combination of parts in addition to the above will be hereinafter described in connection with the accompanying drawings which illustrate one good practical form thereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a grinding machine shown in position to grind the cylinders of an internal combustion engine and having an indicator constructed in accordance with the present invention upon the grinder;

Fig. 2 is an end View of the grinder shown in Fig. 1 and having parts broken away;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through the grinder of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of parts shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional View taken substantially on line 5-5 of Fig. 4;; and

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the indicator and its supporting bracket.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings, a grinding machine is shown consisting of an elongated table 10 mounted for movement back and forth in the direction of its length. Upon the table 10 is mounted a transverse table 11 supported for movement crosswise of table 10. The grinder as shown is mounted upon a fixed frame 12 having a bridge-like construction that spans the table 10 and to the upper face of the frame 12 is bolted the base-plate 1:3 of the grinder. The base-plate ROI 13 in the construction shown is provided with upwardly extending cars 14 and the casing 15 which houses the grinding spindle, to be described, is secured to the ears 14 so that the casing 15 may be raised or lowered a limited amount. To this end lugs 16 extending outwardly from the casing 15 are pivotally secured to one pair of ears 14, as at 17, and the other pair of lugs is provided with elongated slots 18 and threaded bolts 19 by means of which the lugs 16 may be secured to the ears 14 in different positions of adjustment.

The grinder is provided with the usual grinding wheel or cutter 20 in the form of a small emery wheel, which is driven at a high speed. The work to be ground, in the present case, comprises a casting" or block 21 for a four-cylinder internal combustion engine, and is supported upon the transverse table 11. The casting or block 21, in the present case, is mounted between a pair of spaced, transversely extending rails 22 which are secured to the uprights 23 extending upwardly from the table 11, and these uprights have the rails adjustably secured thereto by bolts 24.

In grinding cylinders of internal combustion engines and other mechanism which can not be readily rotated about the axis of the cylinder to be ground, it is customary to advance the grinding wheel 20 in the path of a circle about the interior of the cylinder being ground and asatisfactory construction to this end and which is well known will now be described.

Within the casing 15 is mounted a shaft 25 having a comparatively large bore formed eccentric therein and within this eccentric bore is mounted a second shaft 26 which in turn is provided with an eccentric bore in which a hollow sleeve or shaft 27 is mounted. The hollow shaft or eccentric 25 is mounted to rotate within the casing 15 and the hollow shaft or secondary eccentric 26 is rotatably mounted within the shaft 25, and within the sleeve or shaft 27 is rotatably mounted the driving spindle 28 to one end of which is secured the grinding wheel or cutter 20 and at the other end is secured a driving pulley 29 about which a belt may pass.

It will be apparent that if the shaft or outer eccentric 25 is rotated, the driving spindle 2S and cutter 20 carried thereby will advance bodily in the path of a circle. It will also be apparent that the size of this circle may be increased or decreased as desired by rotating the inner or auxiliary ec centric 26 within the outer eccentric 25 so that the driving shaft 28 will be moved either towards or from the axis of the path of the circle just mentioned.

In the construction shown, continuous rotary movement may be imparted to the eccentric 25 by a gear 30 surrounding this eccentric and driven by a second gear 31 meshing therewith which in turn is driven by a pinion 32 upon a shaft 33 that may be driven from a pulley, not shown. In constructions Where it is desirable to vary the speed at which the eccentric 25 may be r0- tated, a plurality of gears may be provided for varying the speed at which the gear 30 will be driven by the shaft 33, and these gears, which are not shown, may be shifted by the gear positioning lever 34.

Rotation of the auxiliary eccentric 126 within the shaft or eccentric 25 is effected manually, and this is accomplished by a yoke 35 pivotally mounted in the upper portion of the casing 15 at 36 so that the opposite legs-37 of the yoke straddle a ring 38 embracing the eccentric 25. The ring 38 is mounted to slide longitudinally of the eccentric 25 and is secured thereto by keys 39. The ring 38 is provided with an annular groove 40 adapted to receive the shoes 41 pivotally secured to the legs 37 of the yoke, the arrangement being such that the rocking movement of the yoke about its pivotal mounting 36 imparts longitudinal sliding movement to the ring 38. A lever 42 pivoted at 43 upon the casing 15 is connected to the yoke 35 by a pin 44, and as a result of this construction, movement of the lever 42 back and forth rocks the yoke.

The back and forth sliding movement imparted to the ring 38 by the hand-operated lever 42 serves to rotate the inner eccentric 26 within the outer eccentric 25. This is accomplished by forming gear teeth 45 about the inner eccentric with which the worm'46 meshes, and this worm may be rotated in one direction by a ratchet wheel 47 and in the opposite direction by a ratchet wheel 48. Dogs 49 carried by the ring 38 cooperate with the respective ratchet wheels and the arrangement is such that as the ring 38 is moved back and forth by the operating lever 42 to one side of the vertical position shown in Fig. 1, the worm 46 will berotated in one direction, and if the lever 42 is moved back and forth upon the opposite side of its vertical position shown in F ig. 1, the worm will be rotated in the reverse direction. It will therefore be seen that the eccentric 26 may be rotated within the eccentric 25 in either one direction or the other by imparting the proper rocking motion to the lever 42.

Movement of the outer eccentric 25 longitudinally within the casing 15 may be prevented by a shoulder 50 at one end of this eccentric and a nut 51 and bearing washer 52 at the other end of this eccentric, and longitudinal movement of the inner eccentric 26 within the outer eccentric 25 is prevented by a shoulder 53 at one end of the inner eccentric and a bearing washer 54 and nut 55 at the other end of this eccentric.

Grinders are relied upon to do extremely accurate work and it is therefore important that play be prevented between the operating parts, and to this end, in the construction shown, the inner face of the eccentric- 25 is provided with the contact surfaces 56, and the eccentric 26 is forced against these surfaces by an adjustable contact block 57 which is held against the outer face of the eccentric 26 by springs 58, and may be forced inwardly by a wedge 59 positioned by an adjusting screw 60.

The construction sofar described is well known, with the exception of the elements 57, 58, 59 and 60 just mentioned, and in itself forms no part of the present invention. In the operation of the construction described, the work 21, and grinding wheel 20, may be relatively adjusted so that the axis of the circle about which the grinding wheel 20 travels, will correspond with the axis of the cylinder which is to be bored. Movement may then be imparted to the table 10 to move the work 21 back and forth relative to the grinding wheel 20 and at the same time the outer eccentric- 25 may be rotated continuously by the mechanism described so that the wheel 20 will travel about the bore of the cylinder while it is being rapidly rotated by a belt passing around the pulley 2-9, and the grinding wheel may be brought into grinding engagement with the walls of the cylinder upon operating the lever 42 to rotate the inner eccentric 26 within the outer eccentric 25.

As stated, the present invention relates to means for indicating the adjustment of the grinding wheel shaft relative to the work, and a good practical construction to this end will now be described.

In the construction shown, an indicator supporting bracket 61 is secured to the casing 15 at one end thereof by a clamping bolt 62, and this bracket carries anindicator 63 which, may be variously constructed, and, in the present case, has a pointer that rotates about the face of a dial and is operated by pressure exerted upon the pin 64: extending through the indicator casing. In the present case, the indicator 63 is conveniently provided with a hollow sleeve or tube 65, and the indicator is mounted upon the bracket 61 by inserting this sleeve through a socket of the bracket in which the sleeve snugly fits. WVithin the sleeve 65 is a plunger 66 mounted therein for free liding movement, so that an end normally protrudes from the lower end of the sleeve 65, and the downward movement of the plunger is limited by a head 67 that contacts with a shoulder within the sleeve.

The arrangement of the indicator is such that as the wheel driving shaft 28 travels about the path of a circle it will move towards and from the lower end of the plunger 66, and as th parts of the grinder are adjusted to move the spindle outwardly away from the central axis of the grinder to increase the path of the circle in which this shaft travels the shaft will impart movement to the plunger 66, and this in turn will move the pointer 68 over the face of its dial.

Various means may be provided for imparting the movement just mentioned to the plunger 66, and in the construction shown a collar 69 is secured to the shaft 27 at one end of the casing 15, and the bracket 61 supports an actuator consisting of a stem 70 provided with a foot 71 at its lower end, and this stem is slidably supported by the bracket; 61 so that it may be moved inwardly into position to be engaged periodi cally and forced outwardly by the collar 69. The stem 70 of-the actuator preferably is frictionally mounted upon the bracket 61 so that it will remain in the position to which it is moved. To this end the stem 70 preferably is provided with a flattened face 72 against which a block of leather or other yielding material may be held by an adjust able screw 73 and this block will serve also to prevent rotation of the stem 70. The indicator 63 preferably is similarly supported for frictional movement upon the bracket, and to this end, a screw 74 may serve to hold the leather block or other soft material in frictional engagement with the hollow sleeve 65 of the indicator. The lower end of the plunger 66 rests upon the upper face of the foot 71 and as a result of this construction, movement imparted to the foot 71 by the collar 69 forces the plunger 66 upwardly and moves the pointer 68 over the face of its dial.

In grinding cylinders with a grinder supplied with an indicator, as herein described, the cylinder first ground will be measured from time to time during the grindin operation to determine when it is brought to size, and the reading of the indicator for the adjustment of th grinding spindle when the cylinder is ground to size is noted. It will then be unnecessary to measure each of th remaining cylinders as they are being ground, as the indicator may be relied upon to show when the cutter 20 has been adjusted outwardly sufliciently to grind each of the remaining cylinders to size. Since the stem 70 of the indicator actuator in the present case is frictionally mounted in the bracket 61 it will be necessary to push the spindle inwardly after each cylinder is ground to size that it may be actuate-:1 periodically by the collar 69 as the grinding wheel 20 is adjusted outwardly during the operation of grinding the next cylinder.

The object in frictionally supporting the indicator 63 upon the bracket 61 is to permit the indicator casing 63 to be turned to face in different directions that it may be conveniently read from different positions, and this friction serves also to prevent the indicator mechanism from being injured by an excessive pressure exerted thereupon by the foot 71, since if the lower end of the plunger 66 should be pushed upwardly by the foot 71 flush with the lower end of the sleeve 65, further upward movement of the foot 71 would serve simply to force the entire indicator upward relatively to the supporting bracket.

From the foregoing description when read in connection with the drawings it will be apparent that such adjustment of the cutter wheel 20 in an outward direction will be shown by the indicator, and the amount of each adjustment may be determined accurately thereby. It will also be apparent that the indicator may be mounted in various positions, and the means for actuating the indicator may be given various embodiments other than that shown. without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims.

hat is claimed is:

1. In combination with a grinding machine having a grinding wheel shaft mounted to travel bodily in the path of a circle to advance the grinding wheel in an orbital path, and having the shaft supported for adjustment toward and from the axis of said circle; an indicator, a contact member supported to travel in the path of a circle with said shaft, and positioned periodically to engage the indicator and operate it as the shaft is adjusted outwardly from the axis of said circle.

2. In combination .with a grinding machine consisting of a casing having a grinding wheel shaft mounted within the casing to travel bodily in the path of a circle to ad vance the grinding wheel in an orbital path, and means for supporting the shaft for adjustment toward and from the axis of said circle; an indicator mounted upon said casing, a contact member supported to travel in the path of a circle with said shaft, and positioned periodically in its path of travel to engage the indicator and ope ate it as the shaft is adjusted outwardly from the axis of said circle.

3. In combination with a grinder consisting of a casing having an eccentric rotatably mounted therein, a secondary eccentric carried by the first eccentric and rotatable therein, and a grinding wheel shaft extending through the secondary eccentric and supported by the eccentrics to travel in the path of a circle and for adjustment toward and from the axis of said circle; an indicator supported to one side of the path in which the shaft travels, an indicator actuator adjacent said path, and a contact member supported to travel in the path of a circle with the shaft and positioned to engage the indicator actuator and move it in response to adjustment of the shaft outwardly from the axis of said circle.

a. In combination with a grinder consisting of a casing having a grinding wheel shaft mounted therein to travel bodily in the path of a circle to advance the grinding wheel in an orbital path, and means for supporting the shaft for adjustment toward and from the axis of said circle; an indicator holder mounted upon the casing and provided with an indicator, an indicator actuator mounted for movement toward and from the axis of said circle, a contact member supported to travel in the path of a circle with said shaft and positioned to engage the indicator actuator and move it in response to adjustment of the shaft outwardly from the axis of said circle.

5. In combination with a grinder consisting of a casing having a cutter driving shaft mounted therein to travel bodily in the path of a circle to advance the grinding wheel in an orbital path, and means for supporting the shaft for adjustment toward and from the axis of said circle; an indicator having a supporting bracket secured to said casing, an indicator actuator mounted for frictional movement toward and from the axis of said circle, a contact member supported to travel with said shaft and positioned to engage the indicator actuator and move it in response to adjustment of the shaft outwardly from the axis of said circle.

6. In combination with a grinder consisting of a casing having an eccentric rotatably mounted therein, a secondary eccentric carried by the first eccentric and rotatable therein, a grinding wheel shaft within the secondary eccentric and supported by the eccentrics to travel bodily in the path of a circle and for adjustment toward and from the axis of said circle, and means for rotating the second eccentric for adjusting the shaft toward and from the axis of said circle; a bracket upon said casing, an indicator supported by the bracket, an indicator actuator mounted for frictional movement toward and from the axis of said circle, a contact member supported to travel with said shaft and positioned to engage the indicator actuator and move it in response to adjustment of the shaft outwardly from the axis of said circle.

7 In combination with a grinder consisting of a casing having a grinding wheel shaft mounted to travel bodily in the path of a circle to advance the grinding wheel in an orbital path, and having the shaft supported for adjustment toward and from the axis of said circle; an indicator supporting bracket upon the casing, an indicator mounted upon the bracket for adjustment to face in differ ent directions,- an indicator actuator support-=' w an orbital path and means for supporting the shaft from the casing for adjustment toward and from the axis of said circle; an indicator mounted upon said casing, a member having a contact surface supported to travel in the path of a circle with the shaft and positioned to be moved by the shaft toward and from the indicator and actuate the indicator upon adjustment of the shaft radially relative to the axis of said circle.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my 20 name to this specification.

ALPHONZQ WHITE. 

